Anyone noticed huge difference in sound between different playback systems... and I don't mean speakers/headphones, I mean the system inself.
Listening using the same headphones - really good Sony XM4's
The same MP3 file.
Sounds great through my main recording laptop with an audio interface plugged in.
Sounds similar, possibly a touch brighter, when its played through my phone connected to the headphones via bluetooth.
Sounds shite, through my work laptop when playing through Media Player utilising whatever internal soundcard the machine has.
Playback System
Re: Playback System
Yes, I have a laptop I use to play internet video onto a TV but audio, beyond TV stuff, sounds awful from it through the TV, powered speakers and headphones. If the internal sound card is bypassed things are fine.
The same for another very old laptop I have.
the internal soundcards in my two desktops are okay but not up to hifi listening expectations.
The wife uses a newish laptop for the BIG TV and it's okay but not for music other than youtube vids ... she doesn't care about quality audio though being a bit deaf though she's the musician of the household.
Decent headphones with my NAD and Cambridge Audio amps sound really nice though the 30 year old NAD has the edge. Both sound great with ARx speakers and BOSE floorstanding jobbies though the C.A. & Bose couple well and the NAD ARx win hands down. bought some Sennheiser earbuds recently - looking to upgrade the $5 jobbies I use when on a treadmill...bloody awful things - the $5 ones sounded 100x better and required less volume. I scored a cheap $10 pair of no names at the airport last week and they're also MUCH better than the $70 Senns.
In the end a soundcard is a 100 compromises too far.
The same for another very old laptop I have.
the internal soundcards in my two desktops are okay but not up to hifi listening expectations.
The wife uses a newish laptop for the BIG TV and it's okay but not for music other than youtube vids ... she doesn't care about quality audio though being a bit deaf though she's the musician of the household.
Decent headphones with my NAD and Cambridge Audio amps sound really nice though the 30 year old NAD has the edge. Both sound great with ARx speakers and BOSE floorstanding jobbies though the C.A. & Bose couple well and the NAD ARx win hands down. bought some Sennheiser earbuds recently - looking to upgrade the $5 jobbies I use when on a treadmill...bloody awful things - the $5 ones sounded 100x better and required less volume. I scored a cheap $10 pair of no names at the airport last week and they're also MUCH better than the $70 Senns.
In the end a soundcard is a 100 compromises too far.
Cheers
rayc
rayc
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vomitHatSteve
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Re: Playback System
Bluetooth adds another pass of lossy compression to the mp3, doesn't it?
And Media Player by default adds coloring effects. (Last I checked, they were annoyingly difficult to disable.)
And Media Player by default adds coloring effects. (Last I checked, they were annoyingly difficult to disable.)
Re: Playback System
lol ... that's why we audiophiles buy equipment .... it all sounds different.
I have multiple phono stages .... they all sound different.
I have 7 or 8 nice CD players ..... they all sound different.
I have multiple power amps ... they all sound different.
BTW ...... MP3s never sound great. Same with Bluetooth although the upcoming Bluetooth 6.0 might be an improvement.
Acceptable is the best they can manage.
I have multiple phono stages .... they all sound different.
I have 7 or 8 nice CD players ..... they all sound different.
I have multiple power amps ... they all sound different.
BTW ...... MP3s never sound great. Same with Bluetooth although the upcoming Bluetooth 6.0 might be an improvement.
Acceptable is the best they can manage.
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WhiskeyJack
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Re: Playback System
Yea i've noticed this too. It sucks. But it's kind of where we are at i think in our little digital age.
I only ever reference mixes on my computer via monitors or my good cans and in my car. I feel like that would be about the only two places anyone who cares enough to listen to something i did would listen to it on.
I only ever reference mixes on my computer via monitors or my good cans and in my car. I feel like that would be about the only two places anyone who cares enough to listen to something i did would listen to it on.
Re: Playback System
yeah ..... if you're mixing for others then that's the way.WhiskeyJack wrote: ↑Fri Sep 27, 2024 1:16 am Yea i've noticed this too. It sucks. But it's kind of where we are at i think in our little digital age.
I only ever reference mixes on my computer via monitors or my good cans and in my car. I feel like that would be about the only two places anyone who cares enough to listen to something i did would listen to it on.
I mix for myself so I want it to sound good on the good system I listen to music on.
I always get good reviews on my mixes when others do hear them so I suppose it translates well.
Re: Playback System
I burn .wavs onto a CD for reference checking. Going to be annoying when I buy a new car and it doesn't have a CD player. Still have the hifi one in the lounge though.
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musicturtle
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Re: Playback System
Yeah I have noticed this as well. All systems have different outputs as far as ohms, encoding, etc. Headphones will definitely matchup with some systems better than others.
That is why people always listen to mixes in different environments and on different systems.
I own the Slate VSX headphones/software, which I love. It has emulations of different studios and environments and sounds like you are actually listening in a room and not on headphones.
I have the software installed on my main recording computer and on my laptop. But I do have to use a bottom rung Focusrite Scarlett interface with the laptop. The VSX doesn't play well with the regular windows headphone out.
That is why people always listen to mixes in different environments and on different systems.
I own the Slate VSX headphones/software, which I love. It has emulations of different studios and environments and sounds like you are actually listening in a room and not on headphones.
I have the software installed on my main recording computer and on my laptop. But I do have to use a bottom rung Focusrite Scarlett interface with the laptop. The VSX doesn't play well with the regular windows headphone out.